Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro said Tuesday that unrest in Libya may be a pretext for a NATO invasion. Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega has jumped to the support of the embattled leader of the North African nation, saying he telephoned to express solidarity.

Thousands of Argentines filed past the coffin of former leader Nestor Kirchner on Thursday, honoring a man whose unexpected death leaves his widow, President Cristina Fernandez, alone to face a re-election fight and push their leftist political program.

Juan Manuel Santos, sworn in Saturday as Colombia's 59th president, vowed to cement security gains but declared himself open to dialogue with rebels in hopes of ending the Western Hemisphere's only armed conflict.

Director James Cameron said Monday that a real-life Avatar battle is playing out in Brazil's Amazon rain forest, where indigenous groups are trying to halt the construction of a huge hydroelectric project.